e^'  c\ . 

No.  142. 

Our  Medical  Work  in  India. 

Dr.  Anna  S.  Kugler. 


Standing  as  we  do  upon  the  thi'eshold  of  what 
will  mark  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  medical 
work  of  your  mission,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to 
briefly  review  the  progress  made  within  the  last 
decade  in  the  work  of  affording  medical  aid  to 
the  women  of  India. 

As  is  well  known,  it  is  now  a little  more 
than  a quarter  of  a century  since  the  Methodists 
inaugurated  this  work  by  sending  out  the  first 
medical  lady  missionary.  Little  by  little,  other 
societies  joined  in  the  work,  but  until  about  ten 
years  ago  the  progress  was  very  gradual  and 
was  confined  almost  entirely  to  North  India. 
The  Lady  Duft'erin  Fun4)  conceived  and  exe- 
cuted as  it  has  been,  upon  a plan  worthy  of  the 
great  philanthropist  whose  name  it  bears,  has 
not  only  of  itself,  these  recent  years,  afforded 
relief  to  hundreds  and  thousands  of  women 
and  children,  but  has  also  acted  as  a stimulus 
to  the  original  source  of  all  medical  aid,  the 
Christian  chui’ch  itself;  and  has  led  the  church 
to  do  more  in  this  past  decade  than  in  all  pi’e- 
vious  years. 

When  I arrived  in  this  country  there  was  no 
lady  medical  missionary  in  the  whole  of  the 
Madras  presidency.  It  w'as  not  until  two  years 
after  my  arrival  that  the  General  Society  of  our 


own  church  appointed  its  first  medical  mission- 
ary. 

The  need  for  this  work  had,  however,  long 
been  felt.  Indeed,  in  the  Madras  Mission  a 
great  deal  of  medical  work  for  women  had  been 
done  by  Mrs.  Capron,  who,  though  not  qualified 
medically,  was  very  efifi-cient  and  successful. 
The  same  mission  had  also  had  a qualified  lady 
for  a short  time,  but  she  was  not  a success  and 
soon  left. 

To-day  there  are  in  many  places  in  our  presi- 
dency, Lady  Dufferin  dispensaries,  and  in  a few 
districts.  Lady  Dufferin  hospitals;  and  almost 
every  mission  society  has  a medical  work  for 
women  and  one  or  more  fully  qualified  medical 
women.  Just  south  of  us,  in  the  town  of  Nel- 
lore,  the  Baptists  have,  within  the  last  year, 
opened  a hospital  for  women. 

In  the  City  of  Madras  there  is,  in  connection 
with  the  Dufferin  Fund,  the  eighty  bed  Gosha 
hospital  for  Mohammedans  and  high  caste 
Hindus.  To  this  Christians  and  non-caste 
Hindus  are  not  admitted.  At  the  other  end  of 
the  city  is  the  medical  mission  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland,  consisting  of  a twenty-five 
bed  hospital,  two  dispensaries  and  a staff  from 
Scotland  of  two  physicians  and  a head  nurse. 
The  society  that  supports  this  work  has,  within 
ten  years,  sent  out  four  lady  physicians.  The 
first  one  sent  out  is  now  at  home  on  furlough.  The 
second,  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  womanly  lady 
physicians  that  has  come  to  India,  succumbed 
to  cholera  a short  time  after  her  arrival.  The 
one  now  at  the  head  of  the  work  was  obliged  to 
take  entire  responsibility  after  a residence  of 


about  sixteen  months,  but  she  has  proven  equal 
to  the  occasion  and  is  very  successful. 

Some  five  years  ago  the  Madras  Mission  built 
a woman’s  hospital,  but,  up  to  the  present  time, 
no  lady  has  been  at  work  in  it.  However,  one 
has  recently  come  out  for  that  work.  No  hand- 
somer hospital  for  women  is  to  be  seen  in  this 
presidency  than  the  one  in  Bangalore  under  the 
Church  of  Kngland  Zenana  Mission.  It  has  ac- 
commodation for  twenty-four  patients,  and  the 
staff  consists  of  two  physicians  and  a head 
nurse.  The  latter  is  a grand-niece  of  Elizabeth 
Fry  and  is  an  honorary  missionary,  that  is,  she 
receives  no  salary.  There  are  a number  of  hon- 
orary missionaries  from  England — ladies  of 
means  and  culture  ready  to  devote  both  to  the 
work  in  India. 

When  I came  to  India  I felt  very  much  the 
professional  isolation  to  which  I was  subjected. 
A stranger  in  a strange  land,  I knew  not  how 
to  commence  medical  work  among  a strange 
people.  The  only  lady  to  whom  I could  write 
for  advice  lived  far  away  in  North  India.  So  I 
was  obliged  to  pick  my  way,  as  it  were,  in  the 
dark.  Necessarily,  the  progress  made  was  not 
as  great  as  it  might  have  been  had  I come  to  a 
well  established  work.  The  little  go  doun  in 
the  back  verandah  of  the  Zenana  Home  did  not 
afford  much  room  for  the  compounding  of  pre- 
scriptions. The  little  mat  office  on  the  west  ver- 
andah of  the  same  bungalow  was  not  as  conve- 
nient for  efficient  work  as  is  the  double  office  of 
oiir  new  dispensary.  And  when  I recall  the  dif- 
ficulty with  which  I treated  the  first  in-patient 
in  the  horse  stable,  I do  not  regret  that  my  sue- 


cessors  will  have  a more  suitable  place  in  which 
to  labor. 

While  there  have  been  too  many  interruptions 
for  the  medical  work  of  our  mission  to  make 
very  rapid  progress,  it  has  made  steady  advance, 
and  has  more  and  more  drawn  patients  from  the 
classes  for  which  it  is  especially  intended.  * * 

I am  glad  to  say  that  we  have  as  Bible  teacher, 
one  who  speaks  with  power,  out  of  a real  Chris- 
tian experience,  and  who  is  influencing  many  to 
see  in  Christ  the  only  Savior  for  sin. 

It  has  been  stated  that  there  are  “break- 
ers ahead,”  among  which  the  future  support  of 
the  work  was  mentioned.  When,  fourteen  years 
ago,  the  Executive  Committee  could  not  see  its 
way  clear  to  send  out  a medical  missionary, 
there  did  seem  to  be  a good  many  “breakers” 
ahead  of  the  establishment  of  a medical  work  in 
this  mission.  But  with  two  hundred  dollars, 
one  half  the  gift  of  a Quaker  lady,  for  instru- 
ments and  medicines,  the  work  was  commenced. 
Do  you  blame  me,  that  when  I see  how  from 
that  small  beginning,  has  come  a well  estab- 
lished medical  work  and  one  of  the  best  hospital 
buildings  for  women  and  children  in  India,  I 
have  confidence  to  believe  that  the  future  sup- 
port of  the  work  will  be  provided  for.  “The 
earth  is  the  Lord’s,  and  the  fullness  thereof,  the 
world  and  they  that  dwell  therein.” 


Publibhed  by  the  Genera]  Literature  Committee 

OK  THE 

WOMAN'S  Home  ano  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
THE  Lutheran  Church. 

(General  Synod.) 

2319  Maryland  Ave.,  Baltimore.  Mo. 

1897. 


OF 


1 CENT  E.\CH. 


10  CENTS  A DOZEN. 


